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Rain Partier

io9 addressed the tweets on Monday in a tongue and cheek manner, saying "Good. If we're going to start blasting IMAX shots of naked medical/science officers for no reason besides, because they could, at least give us a few Bones pics." But was sure to add they thought the scene was ridiculous. My feelings wouldn't be hurt if the scene wasn't in the movie, but I often notice there isn't much of an uproar when the situation is reversed. My biggest issue about it was that it was used in a viral video campaign for the movie, putting the scene in a spotlight that made it stand out. If you are going to point to the men being half naked as well, yet not highlight them, you can't be surprised the scene would get extra attention from fans.

What I found more interesting was a blog post from actress Felicia Day about the movie where she took notice that the movie was lacking in strong women. Feeling Carol Marcus (pictured above) served as little more than damsel in distress and Uhura mostly only served to humanize Spock. Mainly she points to the scene where Kirk and all the Admirals are sitting around the big table and get attacked, not seeing any women there. I think she is on the money with that specific point and think they could have been well served by having a woman or two sitting around the table (unless there was and both her and I don't remember).

That being said, I do think the female leads have some good qualities as well.

(Beware Spoilers) Carol Marcus is not a warrior, she his much more like Scotty who isn't going to fight his way out of every situation with his fists. She saves the Enterprise by confronting her father and then is put in a situation where, yes, she does need to be saved, but so would any of the male characters put in that situation (ala Pike in the first movie and Scotty who they are rescuing along with Carol). But nobody notices when a dude in distress gets saved, understandable I suppose, but at least take notice when the situation is flipped and it's the woman rescuing the man. Carol Marcus also saves Bones earlier in the movie by risking her life, and just because she doesn't do it with a spinning back kick doesn't mean we should overlook it.

As for Uhura, I thought that her confronting the Klingons alone was a pretty big deal and when the shit hit the fan, she was right in the mix with everyone else in the fight. Not to mention she played a key role against the villain in the climax. I don't think either of these women were treated badly in the movie, a franchise that is pretty much about the three-way between Spock, Kirk and Bones, where everyone else is a second tier character next to the trio. Some characters orbit a bit closer than others to the trio, Scotty being one of them, and in the new version of Star Trek, Uhura is now there as well (and not just because of her relationship with Spock).

There is still a long way to go befeore institutionalized sexism is pried out of entertainment, but Star Trek is, at least, trying to make some progress and it's nice to see Lindelof take notice of what they still need to work on. Hopefully he'll take notice of not just the main cast, but how the world is fleshed out with extras as well. Star Trek once set the bar for being ahead of the curve on issues like this, so it's something that fans will be watching out for.

Mostly, I think this is about sensitivity to an issue close to someone's heart. Nothing wrong with that, but once it is brought to the masses on the internet it grows from there, and it can overshadow the good points about the film.

The film isn't perfect, but it's not a disaster either. If there is a number one complaint about Star Trek Into Darkness, it should be about how Cumberbatch over-enunciated everything.

io9 addressed the tweets on Monday in a tongue and cheek manner, saying "Good. If we're going to start blasting IMAX shots of naked medical/science officers for no reason besides, because they could, at least give us a few Bones pics." But was sure to add they thought the scene was ridiculous. My feelings wouldn't be hurt if the scene wasn't in the movie, but I often notice there isn't much of an uproar when the situation is reversed. My biggest issue about it was that it was used in a viral video campaign for the movie, putting the scene in a spotlight that made it stand out. If you are going to point to the men being half naked as well, yet not highlight them, you can't be surprised the scene would get extra attention from fans.

What I found more interesting was a blog post from actress Felicia Day about the movie where she took notice that the movie was lacking in strong women. Feeling Carol Marcus (pictured above) served as little more than damsel in distress and Uhura mostly only served to humanize Spock. Mainly she points to the scene where Kirk and all the Admirals are sitting around the big table and get attacked, not seeing any women there. I think she is on the money with that specific point and think they could have been well served by having a woman or two sitting around the table (unless there was and both her and I don't remember).

That being said, I do think the female leads have some good qualities as well.

(Beware Spoilers) Carol Marcus is not a warrior, she his much more like Scotty who isn't going to fight his way out of every situation with his fists. She saves the Enterprise by confronting her father and then is put in a situation where, yes, she does need to be saved, but so would any of the male characters put in that situation (ala Pike in the first movie and Scotty who they are rescuing along with Carol). But nobody notices when a dude in distress gets saved, understandable I suppose, but at least take notice when the situation is flipped and it's the woman rescuing the man. Carol Marcus also saves Bones earlier in the movie by risking her life, and just because she doesn't do it with a spinning back kick doesn't mean we should overlook it.

As for Uhura, I thought that her confronting the Klingons alone was a pretty big deal and when the shit hit the fan, she was right in the mix with everyone else in the fight. Not to mention she played a key role against the villain in the climax. I don't think either of these women were treated badly in the movie, a franchise that is pretty much about the three-way between Spock, Kirk and Bones, where everyone else is a second tier character next to the trio. Some characters orbit a bit closer than others to the trio, Scotty being one of them, and in the new version of Star Trek, Uhura is now there as well (and not just because of her relationship with Spock).

There is still a long way to go befeore institutionalized sexism is pried out of entertainment, but Star Trek is, at least, trying to make some progress and it's nice to see Lindelof take notice of what they still need to work on. Hopefully he'll take notice of not just the main cast, but how the world is fleshed out with extras as well. Star Trek once set the bar for being ahead of the curve on issues like this, so it's something that fans will be watching out for.

Mostly, I think this is about sensitivity to an issue close to someone's heart. Nothing wrong with that, but once it is brought to the masses on the internet it grows from there, and it can overshadow the good points about the film.

The film isn't perfect, but it's not a disaster either. If there is a number one complaint about Star Trek Into Darkness, it should be about how Cumberbatch over-enunciated everything.

FACEBOOKTron

Wait, what now? Zoe Saldana's Uhura is a much stronger character than the original '60's version and this new Carol Marcus is much stronger than the Star Trek II version from '82! Okay, so there's five guys to two women - that ratio is up from 2009's Star Trek and better than the three damsel-in-distress cast members of the original series: Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand. I would think the next Star Trek would feature more strong female roles...

FACEBOOKTron

Wait, what now? Zoe Saldana's Uhura is a much stronger character than the original '60's version and this new Carol Marcus is much stronger than the Star Trek II version from '82! Okay, so there's five guys to two women - that ratio is up from 2009's Star Trek and better than the three damsel-in-distress cast members of the original series: Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand. I would think the next Star Trek would feature more strong female roles...

The Old Doctor

by The Old Doctor » Tue May 21, 2013 10:24 am

Punchy wrote:I think all that needs to be said is that Kirk was in his underwear too.

I think all that really needs to be said that this is a non issue over all. You can see more at a beach or poolside.

The Red Stands for Irony

I haven't seen the movie, so I can't put the scene in context, but the fact that Alice Eve was paraded around in her underwear in like 75% of the promos and trailers for the movie doesn't exactly scream "she's more than just sex appeal!" to me.

The Red Stands for Irony

I haven't seen the movie, so I can't put the scene in context, but the fact that Alice Eve was paraded around in her underwear in like 75% of the promos and trailers for the movie doesn't exactly scream "she's more than just sex appeal!" to me.

The Old Doctor

by The Old Doctor » Tue May 21, 2013 10:28 am

FBtron wrote:Wait, what now? Zoe Saldana's Uhura is a much stronger character than the original '60's version and this new Carol Marcus is much stronger than the Star Trek II version from '82! Okay, so there's five guys to two women - that ratio is up from 2009's Star Trek and better than the three damsel-in-distress cast members of the original series: Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand. I would think the next Star Trek would feature more strong female roles...

The Romulan commander for the next film? You know, the one that vamped Spock.

The Old Doctor

FBtron wrote:Wait, what now? Zoe Saldana's Uhura is a much stronger character than the original '60's version and this new Carol Marcus is much stronger than the Star Trek II version from '82! Okay, so there's five guys to two women - that ratio is up from 2009's Star Trek and better than the three damsel-in-distress cast members of the original series: Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand. I would think the next Star Trek would feature more strong female roles...

The Romulan commander for the next film? You know, the one that vamped Spock.

Rain Partier

Easy fix, the whole movie should have been everyone just wearing underwear...

The Old Doctor

by The Old Doctor » Tue May 21, 2013 10:33 am

BlueStreak wrote:I haven't seen the movie, so I can't put the scene in context, but the fact that Alice Eve was paraded around in her underwear in like 75% of the promos and trailers for the movie doesn't exactly scream "she's more than just sex appeal!" to me.

She is though. But afterwards she is kind of useless again.

I hope they keep her around for Kirk to settle down as Spock is with Uhura. I like the dynamic more so based on the scenes we saw with her, Kirk and Spock in the shuttle.

Her underwear scene is still my favorite.

The Old Doctor

BlueStreak wrote:I haven't seen the movie, so I can't put the scene in context, but the fact that Alice Eve was paraded around in her underwear in like 75% of the promos and trailers for the movie doesn't exactly scream "she's more than just sex appeal!" to me.

She is though. But afterwards she is kind of useless again.

I hope they keep her around for Kirk to settle down as Spock is with Uhura. I like the dynamic more so based on the scenes we saw with her, Kirk and Spock in the shuttle.

2k11 Outhouse People's Champion

FBtron wrote:Wait, what now? Zoe Saldana's Uhura is a much stronger character than the original '60's version and this new Carol Marcus is much stronger than the Star Trek II version from '82! Okay, so there's five guys to two women - that ratio is up from 2009's Star Trek and better than the three damsel-in-distress cast members of the original series: Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand. I would think the next Star Trek would feature more strong female roles...

Comparisons to the older characters while understandable is a bit odd. The 60s was a bit of a different time and Uhura did play a decent role considering (yes it could have been more progressive, but a black woman and an officer was kind of a bid deal in 1966). As far as Marcus is concerned, her role in 82 was not as physical but she was strong, and smart. She really bucked those in the military who wanted to turn her research into weapons of war. And she was a lot older (not that older people cannot be strong).

IF this new Trek is anything like the old Trek, the reason you don't see women at the meeting of captains and admirals is that women were not captains back then. It was a large point in the final episode of Star Trek in 69. Yeah another area where classic Trek could have been more progressive.

2k11 Outhouse People's Champion

FBtron wrote:Wait, what now? Zoe Saldana's Uhura is a much stronger character than the original '60's version and this new Carol Marcus is much stronger than the Star Trek II version from '82! Okay, so there's five guys to two women - that ratio is up from 2009's Star Trek and better than the three damsel-in-distress cast members of the original series: Uhura, Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand. I would think the next Star Trek would feature more strong female roles...

Comparisons to the older characters while understandable is a bit odd. The 60s was a bit of a different time and Uhura did play a decent role considering (yes it could have been more progressive, but a black woman and an officer was kind of a bid deal in 1966). As far as Marcus is concerned, her role in 82 was not as physical but she was strong, and smart. She really bucked those in the military who wanted to turn her research into weapons of war. And she was a lot older (not that older people cannot be strong).

IF this new Trek is anything like the old Trek, the reason you don't see women at the meeting of captains and admirals is that women were not captains back then. It was a large point in the final episode of Star Trek in 69. Yeah another area where classic Trek could have been more progressive.

Rain Partier

BlueStreak wrote:I haven't seen the movie, so I can't put the scene in context, but the fact that Alice Eve was paraded around in her underwear in like 75% of the promos and trailers for the movie doesn't exactly scream "she's more than just sex appeal!" to me.

yeah, that's what marketing departments do, though. The way they cut trailers for promotion shouldn't reflect on the complete film, those trailers are often made by CHUDs. For several reasons, I never watch a trailer of a movie I want to see.

Rain Partier

BlueStreak wrote:I haven't seen the movie, so I can't put the scene in context, but the fact that Alice Eve was paraded around in her underwear in like 75% of the promos and trailers for the movie doesn't exactly scream "she's more than just sex appeal!" to me.

yeah, that's what marketing departments do, though. The way they cut trailers for promotion shouldn't reflect on the complete film, those trailers are often made by CHUDs. For several reasons, I never watch a trailer of a movie I want to see.